Many happy hours.......

Discard any thoughts of the Housemartins that the title might conjure up – take your cue from the album cover which suggests keeping warm on a chilly winter’s evening, taking refuge in a warm welcoming hostelry surrounded by good friends and enjoying a warming beverage or two and opening your epiglottis to belt out a few festive tunes.
Well, that’s a good starting point. J D & The Longfellows are indeed a Poguish, good-time Pub Band – but I must say they have a range of styles and repertoire to be envied. They start off with the title track in fairly predictable Adge Cutler Wurzel mode, but happily don’t keep on ploughing that same furrow throughout – they vary the menu continually. We get flavours as diverse as Charlie Daniels style country fiddling, Tom Waits gruffling and growling, a Bonzo vs Klemzer mashup and one track called ‘Zombie Love’ even reminds me of Meri Wilson’s quirky ditty ‘Telephone Man.’
It’s a brilliant CD which will find a special place in my collection along with others I keep within easy grabbing range for those moments when I need my spirits lifting. Great stuff!